Shears for cutting metal.



H. G. SMITH.

SHEARS FOR CUTTING METAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1911.

l,,68,29& Patented June 3, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[N VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

H-. 0. SMITH. SHEARS FOR CUTTING METAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1911.

L639 Patented June 3, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l/VI/E/V TOR ATTORNEY H. 0. SMITH.

SHEARS POR'GUTTIN G METAL. APPLICATION FILED we. 28, 1911.

l SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITH/E8858: l/WE/VTOR ,JZZML' 3y ATTORNEY HENRY COLLIER SMITH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

smaans roa currme METAL;

Specification of Letters latent.

V Patented June 3, 1913..

Application filed August as, 1911. Serial No. 646,462.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY COLLlER SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shears for Cutting Metal, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,-which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to shears for cutting metal, or sheet material of any kind.

It has for its object an improved machine intended to cut'sheets of moderate thickness I ters, and the cuttersmay have a very small radius.

In the drawings :-Figure 1, is a side elevation of the assembled machine. Fig. 1, is a section of the lower cutter-shaft bearing. Fig. 2, is a front elevation. Fig. 3, is

a plan view. Fig. 4, is-a rear elevation. The remaining figures are details of structural parts, of these, Fig. 5, is a sectional detail of the cutter adjuster. Fig. 6, is a side elevation of the starting clutch. Fig. 7, is a cross section of the same. Fig. 8, is a longitudinal section of a change speed clutch. Fig. 9, is a section of the bearing for the driving mechanism of the upper shear. Fig. 10, is a cross section of the guide for the same bearing. Fig. 11, is a side elevation of a pair of critters. Fig. 12, is a side elevation of a pair of cutters. Fig. 13, is a side elevation of a universal joint near the bearings shown in Fig. 9., Fig. 14, is a cross section of the same universal joint. Fig. 15, is a cross section showing the ratchet wheel connected with the hand lever. Fig. 16, is a side view of a pair of cutters as they would be shaped, if the shafts were nearly vertical. Fig. 17, is a view of the same cutters taken from a position 90 degrees' removed. Fig. 18, is a top view of a plate or stripping-finger engaging about the lower cutter blade. Fig: 19, is a side view of the same. Fig. 20,'is a side view of a stripping finger located near the upper cutter blade.

with a deep recess 2 carries at the mouth end of said recess the bearings for cutters'3 and 4. v The cutters 3 and 4 are circular,

similar. in construction of equal or unequal A properly supported frame 1 provided meeting circle of two conical zones '5 and 6 (Fig. 11); a section through theshearing edge and through the zone surfaces on a plane radial to the axis of the zones would show the angle very nearly 90- In order that thecutting edge may be ground, it is desirable that the angle be slightly less than 90 degrees, from 87 to 88; although efficient work may be produced with cutting heads in which the shearing faces are at a less degree than that specified, the best work is produced when the angle is substantially quite close to the angle specified. The surface 7 of the head behind the zone having the surface 5 is more obliquely con'ed toward the axis of the cutter and extends to. the shaft part 8. In the assembled machine,

the two cutter heads are placed with the shearing edges between the zones 5 and 6 and the zones 5 and 6 in shearing relation, as shown in Fig. 11 with the shafts -8 and 8" at a slight inclination, the one to the other with reference to the planes which pass through the axes of the two shafts. In Fig. 11, the axes of the two shafts appear parallel in the elevation there shown. In the elevation at right angles to the one there shown, which is indicated in Fig. 2, the axes are shown in their true inclined position. This inclination of the shafts with respect to'each other is such that imaginary planes passing through the cutting edges of the cutters would (if extended) intersect each other. This relative inclination of the shafts also brings the two adiaoent surfaces of the 'two cutters into parallel and closely contiguous relation, so that the cutters may be moved relatively to each other until the cutting edges. almost contact the shafts. The contact of the cutters with the metal is a point contact and the metal under treatment between the shearing edges separates as shown at the meeting-of the sheets'm and w, which indicate the severed portions of a sheet. This allows of turning the'metal'to cutsharp curves and even a reverse curve without mu-tilatingthe metal. The zones 6 and 6 would have practically a sliding contact so that the cutters enter the metal at a point in advance of a line drawn through the'axis of said cutters. "The upper cutter can be raised or lowered'wi'th respect to the lower cutter by turning the crank 35 which is 'journale'don the bearing block 9 and th-rea'ded in the guide piece '21. These cutters'aremounted on the ends of a frame with the upper cuttcr' 3 "on the end of a shaft 8 mounted in bearing-block 'tl, (shown in'Fig. 9) and drivenby means of a bevel gear'TO' on the shaft 8, which" meshes with a bevel gear 11 on a shaft 14. 'Nearthe power end of shaft 12'area'1-ranged'a Hum: berofchange speed 'gears 12, 12 and 12, all of which-are fast to the-shaft and all of which are constantly in mesh -with spur gears'13',' 13 and l3on* a counter shaft 13. 'Ihe'counter shaft 13 is driven by the gears on shaft l2'an'd in turn drives, by means of the wheel 13", the wheel 14 of the=shaft 14. The wheel 14* meshes with the wheel 15-on the lower shaft 15 which drives the shaft -8 of the'lower cutter head.

The'connection between shafts 15 and 8 is by means of'bevel gears 15 and8, one of which is on-the shaft 15' and'the'other of which is on the shaft 8. The'shaft 14- has a universalcoupling at 1-6 and is-sojo'urnaled in a bearing block 36 ivoted onset-screws 37' that the wheel 14 'may rock slightly with respect to the wheel 15 to enable'the cutter 3 to be raised and lowered the slightamount that is necessary to insert thesheet of uncut metal between theciitters and to force-the cutters to its placeafter-the-Sheet of-metal has been'i'nserted bet-ween the cutters.

The shaft 12 is provided with an" actuator consisting of 'sha'ft18 connected to'the-shaft 12'by universaljoint and provided with a bearing and a hand crank"18,'whieh hand crank is connectedtotheshaft 18 by a reversible ratchet 18 (shown in Fig. 15). The ratchetwheel l8 -is 'keyed to the-shaft 18 and the pawl 18 is arranged to be rotated in its seat inorder that the ratchet wheel 18 may be capable of rotation in either directi-on butheld'from'back rotation or may be entirelydisconnected; the selected rotation being determined by the temporary arrangement of the pawl 18.

The pawl 18 is turned by -a little hand crank 18. The hand drive ermits an operation of the machine which is sometimes desirable in setting work j and in starting work and also-'actuates the shaft 12'when changing the change speed gears. .The 65 power operation is brought into action by means of a clutch 19 (shown in detail in Figs. 6 and- 7). The clutch is actuated by treadle 19. The clutch comprises a toothed ring 19 around which engages a fork 19 and the tooth of which can be brought by the action-of the treadle 19 into engagement can be actuated along the spline intoengagement with or past any one'of the loose-wheels qu'ite rea'dily. Theshaft I2 is'usua'lly driven' by a pulley 34=and belt 3 1"when the clutch 19 is thrown= into engagement and the hand drive is thrown ofl" by'lifting the pawl 18 again'st'the tension of the, spring 18 and turning the crank 18 so that 'itrests on the top of a projected portion ll of the pawlconta-ining socket. The shaft "18 then ro-- ta-tesnnder the infitence of the power drive. but thecrank 18' 'does not turn.

The cutter 3 is adjusted vertically 'by shifting the bearings in which its shaft is supportedverticallyin the guide '21. The cutterhead 1 is regulated and adjusted by shifting its shaft along bearings 22; the

shaft-is held in place by means of the set screws 23 and 24=and screw collar 25. The bev'eled-wheel'8 is held to the shaft by a spline and is adjustable there along to properly engage with the wheel15.

Figs. 12, 16'and 17 showsetsof="cutter blades that in principle correspond exactly with-the cutter blades shown-in Fig. 11. Thus in Fig. 12 the blades are arranged closely to the vertical, while the shafts'are nearly horizontal. The zones 26 and 26 correspond-with 6 and 6 on the blades of Fig. 11 2'7 and 27 correspond with 5"and 5 15 and 28 and 28 correspond with 7'and 7.

In Figs. 16 and 17, two views of the cutters blades arranged nearly horizontal and the shafts nearly vertical are shown. In order to preserve the approximately 88 cuttingedge the cutter becomes nearly cylindrical; 26 and 26 corresponding with 6' and 6 of Fig. 11; 27 and 27 corresponding with 51and5; and 28 and 28 correspondin 'with7 and 7 It is thus seen that the inclination of the shafts may be varied but-such variance requires a variance of the shape of the cutter blades so as to provide for adjustment and a'horizontal feed. I'prefer the inclination of the shaftsand shape of the blades shown neeaaea in Fig. 11, as the blades are a more conyenient shape and the shafts may be conveniently journaled and the drive connections easily made.

The plate or stripping-finger 30 is bolted on to the shaft-bearmg 22 by the bolts 31. It lies a little below the cutting line and serves to strip the metal from the cutter, and is particularly desirable when circles of small radii are being cut out. The stripping finger 32 is bolted to the guide-piece 21 and is slightly above the cutting line, being curved at its de nded end so as to present an obstructing ace across the width of the cutters.

What I claim is 1. In a shearing machine, the combination of a pair of cutters formed by zones of cones, revoluble shafts for said cutters, tipped with respect to the plane of the work and tipped with respect to each other, the tipping and the shaping of the cutters being arranged with respect to each other so that planes per pendicular to the axes of the shafts and passing through the cutting edges cross and two surfaces of the cutters, one from each cutter, lie in parallel and closely contiguous planes so that the cutters can ass each other up to as far as their respectlve shafts and maintain their shearing relation, and means for adjustably moving one of said cutters in a path parallel with such last mentioned planes, substantially as described.

' 2. A shearing machine, having in combination, a frame, a pair of cutters,- one of which is journaled in the frame and both of which are formed by zones of cones, revolu= arrange ble shafts for said cutters tipped with respect to the plane of the work'and tipped with res ect to each other, the tipping being with respect to the s ape of the cutters so that lanes perpendicular to the axes of the shafis and assing through the cutting edges cross and two surfaces, one from each cutter, lie in parallel and closely contiguous planes so that the said cutters can pass each other up to as far as their respective shafts and maintain the shearing relation, a bearing-block for carrying the other cutter shaft, a guide attached to said frame in which the bearing-block reciprocates in a path parallel to the planes of the aforementioned two surfaces of the cutters means for adjustably reciprocating said bearing-block in the guide, flexible driving connections with the shaft carried in said bearing-block and driving connections for the other shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a cutting machine, the combination of a pair of cutters, revoluble shafts carrying said cutters, the said shafts and cutters being tip ed from the work and from the horizontai and also from each other so as to cause planes erpendicular of the axes of the shafts and passing through the cutting edges of the cuttersto cross, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY CULLltlER S'liltll.

Witnesses CHARLEs F. BURTON, Vmernm C. Srna'rr. 

